Where mobiles are spending their time online

Two new reports, one from Millennial Media and another from eXelate, underline where mobile consumers are going online - and what they're doing once they arrive at interesting content. Here's a hint: games, fashion and streaming content top the lists.

Data from Millennial Media shows games are a hot commodity throughout their network. Through Q3 2012 'Games' was the top app category for the platform; Travel, Entertainment and Education were the top ad verticals. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Q3 impressions were from smartphones while 23% were from tablets.

Meanwhile, eXelate has released some info showing how mobiles are using tablets during big events. Their research shows that during Super Bowl XLVII women and tablets outperformed men and computers. Mobile usage began to spike just before game coverage began, but women took the mobile reigns from the men during the Halftime show and then the power outage, staying online and remaining social about the game throughout the second half of play.

As for the type of content most interesting to mobile Super Bowl viewers, ads for personal wealth management and online streaming topped the interest list along with men's fashion, flowers and gifts and jewelry/watches.

According to data from comScore more than 125 million Americans now own smartphones with Apple holding a 36% OEM Market Share. Android, meanwhile, holds a 53% share of the smartphone platform market (December 2012). As for how mobiles are spending their time, comScore reports about half are either using downloaded apps - for shopping, gaming or information gathering - or directly navigating to content via mobile browsers.